Marc D' Men: Desoto vs South Oak Cliff

Two powerhouse football teams met in Desoto, Texas over the weekend, in a much anticipated matchup of teams who come into the 2022 season with high expectations. The South Oak Cliff Golden Bears are coming off their State Championship in 5A Division II in 2021 and have started out the season by playing some of the top teams in the state to start off the season. Meanwhile, the Desoto Eagles have state title aspirations in 2022 as well and have some of the most talented prospects in the state. This week's edition of Marc D' Men features a matchup of University of Texas commits, a three headed attack of Desoto Eagles at running back, a junior quarterback who is establishing himself as top passer and a Texas commit on the Golden Bear defense who made his presence felt.         [player_tooltip player_id='60859' first='Johntay' last='Cook II']   6'0 170   C/O 2023 WR   Texas Committ   Cook is an elite talent at the wide receiver position. His short area quickness is superb, he has oily hips, runs sharp, crisp routes, and his ability to cut on a dime make Johntay a nightmare to cover. What makes Johntay special is the next level burst he possesses that enables him to separate from defenders. His off the ball explosion and top level leaping ability were on display on a contested 50/50 touchdown catch late in the second half vs fellow UT committ [player_tooltip player_id='258572' first='Malik' last='Muhammad']. The future Longhorn teammates battled for much the night head to head, but on this play Cook showed why he is one of the Marc D' Men for the Desoto Eagles. With Muhammad in tight coverage, Cook showed off his strong hands and large catch radius to wrestle the football away from the defender and make the highlight reel play of the night. Johntay is ranked as the #4 overall player in Texas and #1 wide receiver in the Class of 2023 Prep Redzone Texas rankings.   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/BrandidSports/status/1568769476178448386?s=20u0026t=qPm-2VmzA2ezNOym8-IEHw </div></figure>         [player_tooltip player_id='258572' first='Malik' last='Muhammad']   6'0 170   C/O 2023 DB   Texas Commit   Malik is the prototype for today's cornerback. He has a long, lean build, has excellent footwork with ability to plant and drive quickly, transitions into his back pedal smoothly with no false steps and his strength at the point of attack enables him to play press coverage well. Muhammad routinely lines up against the opponents best receiver on most nights and drew the assignment of matching up with future Longhorn teammate [player_tooltip player_id='60859' first='Johntay' last='Cook II']. Malik used his physical play and long reach for most the night to his advantage to keep Cook from breaking loose and his ability to change direction helped him standout as one of the Marc D' Men. On Cook's dynamic touchdown catch, Malik was in perfect position and was super glued to the receiver, but in Cook was able to keep his concentration to haul in a pass despite Muhammad having "Spiderman" like coverage. Malik is ranked in the Prep Redzone Texas rankings in the Class of 2023 as the #9 overall player in Texas and the #3 ranked defensive back.             [player_tooltip player_id='259525' first='Billy' last='Walton'] III   6'4 222   C/O 2023 DE/ Edge   Texas Commit   Walton has great length, great initial burst at the snap of the ball, runs the arch well and his closing speed to the ball carrier allows him to be a playmaker off the edge. Billy shows off excellent chase down athleticism, has good linear speed and plays with a relentless motor. He plays the run using great leverage, sets the edge well and uses his length to shuck and shed opponents to seek and destroy offenses. Walton was a disruptive force vs Desoto, which lead to two sacks and he was a menace in the Eagle backfield causing several three and outs in the first half. Billy's ability to collapse the pocket off the edge enabled him to standout as one of the Marc D' Men vs Desoto. Walton is ranked as the #28 player in Texas and the # 8 defensive lineman in the Prep Redzone Texas Class of 2023 rankings.           [player_tooltip player_id='131822' first='Tre' last='Wisner']   6'0 170   C/O 2023 RB   Texas Commit   Wisner is explosive in the open field, makes quick cuts, glides when he runs and has the speed to make a house call from any area of the field. A threat on special teams as a kick returner, Wisner took the opening kick vs St. Frances 95 yards, showing his burst to separate from defenders. Tre is a weapon in the passing game, showing off soft, strong hands, is hand catcher of the football and displays great length as well as a large catch radius. Wisner displayed his open field skill set by taking a short pass in the flat for a big gain that lead to a score. After making the grab, Tre broke down several defenders in space, used a strong stiff and his spin move in the secondary allowed him to take the ball inside the 5 yard line, which lead to a short touchdown by Desoto. He earned his status as one of the Marc D' Men vs South Oak Cliff. Wisner is ranked as the #45 player in Texas and #7 running back in the Prep Redzone Texas Class of 2023 rankings.           Deondrae Riden Jr   6'0 185   C/O 2025 RB   Offers: SMU, Texas Tech, Houston, UTSA, Baylor, Miami, Texas A&M, Ole Miss, USC, Oregon, Arizona, Georgia Tech, Louisville   Riden has emerged as a weapon in the Desoto Eagle backfield. Nicknamed Tiger, his powerful running style combined with his home run threat speed make this nickname fit like a glove. Deondrae has a thick lower torso, runs with great pad level, his short area quickness in the hole enables him to explode past defenders and his forward lean allows him to get extra yardage routinely. Riden's powerful running lead to a short touchdown run in the second quarter from one yard out, as he carried several Golden Bears with him to the end zone. Riden established himself as one of the Marc D' Men for Desoto showing of his speed and power. Riden is the #77 ranked player in Texas and the #8 running back in the Prep Redzone Texas rankings.           <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2022/09/DJ-Bailey-Qb-Desoto-1-999x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-445384"/><figcaption>Desoto quarterback Darius " DJ" Bailey leads the Eagles to a win over South Oak Cliff.</figcaption></figure>   Darius "DJ" Bailey   5'11 200   C/O 2024 QB   Offers: Austin Peay     Bailey has the arm talent that most quarterbacks at the high school level don't posses. He can make all of the throws on the route tree, has the ability to make throws from multiple platforms and arm angles , as well as the arm strength to drive the football down field 60-70 yards with the flick of his wrist. Darius has started off the 2022 season against nationally ranked St. Frances Academy from Maryland, St. Augustine from New Orleans and this week he faced a top 5A Division II defense in South Oak Cliff. Bailey has seen next level defenses and has performed at a high level. When his offensive line has kept his pocket clean, Bailey has shown the ability to navigate the pocket well with clean footwork, he is a pocket passer first but has the ability to hurt defenses with his feet. Darius can deliver pinpoint passes at the intermediate level and has great touch on his fade ball and the back shoulder throw. His maturity, as well his ability to keep calm under pressure, are key attributes that have Desoto primed and ready to make a run at a state title in 2022. Bailey has set the tone for the Eagles offensively as one of the Desoto Marc D' Men.               <figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2022/09/Caimon-Mathis-DB-Desoto.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-445377"/></figure>     [player_tooltip player_id='60887' first='Caimon' last='Mathis']   6'0 165   C/O 2023 DB   Offers: Texas A&M Commerce, Memphis, Sam Houston State, Houston, Ole Miss, UAB, Grambling, Houston Baptist, Utah State, Oregon State, Washington State, Louisiana Tech, UTSA, Arkansas, North Texas, SMU, Tulsa, Boston College, Washington, Missouri, Arizona, Northern Arizona, Louisville, Buffalo, Marshall, Mississippi State, Georgia Tech   Mathis is physical at the point of attack, has violent hands, uses his long arm length to redirect receivers well at the snap of the ball and has the frame that college programs covet in a defensive back. His footwork is clean, he transitions into his backpedal smoothly, understands how to use his leverage to advantage and doesn't have any wasted motion. Mathis has excellent read and react ability, has great hip flexibility that allows him to move fluidly. His tenacity, toughness and natural ballhawk instincts are several attributes that are at the forefront of his game. He comes up in run support under control and takes proper pursuit angles in the open field to make stops on ball carriers. Mathis showed great eye discipline and patience on the biggest play of the first half. As South Oak cliff was inside in Eagle territory driving for a score, he played a slant route to perfection, stepped in front of a pass, showed off his speed and returned an interception for a 95 yard touchdown. His big play ability left no doubt that he is one of the Eagles Marc D' Men. Caimon is ranked at #70 overall in Texas and the #9 defensive back in the Class of 2023 Prep Redzone Texas rankings.   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/CaimonMathis/status/1569334836917161988?s=20u0026t=jZP_9VWYtIWwUnEBbiFT1A </div></figure>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/BrandidSports/status/1568725607722139650?s=20u0026t=jZP_9VWYtIWwUnEBbiFT1A </div></figure>       <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2022/09/Jaden-Tradwick-Desoto-RB-977x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-445379"/><figcaption>Desoto running back #8 Jaden Tradwick broke off a 73 yard TD run in the fourth quarter vs South Oak Cliff.</figcaption></figure>     Jaden Tradwick   5'11 180   C/O 2024 RB   Offers: Austin Peay   Tradwick has a compact powerful build, thick lower trunk, and runs with excellent pad level. He shows patience, runs with great forward lean, keeps his shoulders square with good balance and knows how to get skinny in the hole. Jaden runs angry but under control, is shifty in open space and has home run speed to score from any distance. Tradwick is a closer and on his 73 yard dagger of a run to close out South Oak Cliff, he went into his bag of tricks. He used great vision to set up his blocks, showed off his quickness with a nifty jump cut, breaking down the safety in the open field and his burst into end zone left no doubt why he is one of the Desoto Eagle Marc D' Men. As the season progresses and Jaden gets more touches, his recruiting stock will rise. He has the traits that next level running back posses.   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/trawick_jaden/status/1569023002657816577?s=20u0026t=p4FCBCm32mqXXF4dSNgKAg </div></figure>

Two powerhouse football teams met in Desoto, Texas over the weekend, in a much anticipated matchup of teams who come into the 2022 season with high expectations. The South Oak Cliff Golden Bears are coming off their State Championship in 5A Division II in 2021 and have started out the season by playing some of the top teams in the state to start off the season. Meanwhile, the Desoto Eagles have state title aspirations in 2022 as well and have some of the most talented prospects in the state. This week's edition of Marc D' Men features a matchup of University of Texas commits, a three headed attack of Desoto Eagles at running back, a junior quarterback who is establishing himself as top passer and a Texas commit on the Golden Bear defense who made his presence felt.